Domestic violence deaths on the rise in Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - Domestic violence-related deaths have doubled in East Baton Rouge Parish compared to this same time last year.

The Parish has already seen 12 domestic homicides this year. Four of those cases have been murder-suicides, with another six attempted murders.

The most recent case occurred Tuesday, when a man shot a woman on Banyan Trace Drive before turning the gun on himself. The victim survived that shooting, but was still in the hospital with serious injuries Tuesday afternoon.

Just outside of East Baton Rouge Parish limits, a man broke into his ex-girlfriend's East Feliciana Parish home and killed her, her new boyfriend and her father. That same shooter killed a fourth person at a Zachary gas station that same day.

"It's about power and control," Assistant District Attorney Melanie Fields said. "It spikes and becomes violent usually when the person they care about is becoming more independent."

Fields says there's a number of things victims of domestic violence can do to avoid being put in a deadly situation. They're encouraged to contact police or the IRIS Domestic Violence Center at 1 800-541-9706.